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Alternative School Learns Energy

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EORenew -- education -- energy services -- SolWest Fair

NEWS BRIEFS

US Wind Power Surges 45%. Shattering all of its previous records, the U.S. wind energy industry installed 5,244 MW in 2007, expanding the nation's total wind power generating capacity by 45% in a single calendar year and injecting an investment of over $9 billion into the economy, AWEA announced January 17. New wind projects account for about 30% of the entire new power-producing capacity added nationally in 2007 and will power the equivalent of 1.5 million American households annually. The U.S. wind power fleet now numbers 16,818 MW and spans 34 states. American wind farms will generate an estimated 48 billion kWh of wind energy in 2008, just over 1% of U.S. electricity supply, powering the equivalent of over 4.5 million homes. AWEA's initial estimates indicate that this year could equal 2007 in new capacity installed. Developers report that with strong demand for wind energy across the country, wind turbines are sold out for the year. However, AWEA projects that with more companies entering the market, more turbines will become available. The pace of growth in 2008 and beyond is expected to largely depend, not on turbine availability, but on the timing and duration of an extension of the federal production tax credit, AWEA said. The full annual report is available on the AWEA Web site at www.awea.org/Market_Report_Jan08.pdf.

Morningstar SureSine Inverter Receives UL Certification. Morningstar announced it has received authorization to mark its SureSine 300 watt (115V AC output) inverter as UL and cUL (for Canada) compliant with electrical safety and code standards. The inverter was designed specifically to meet the needs of rural PV electrification requiring AC power and small PV systems for telecom, remote cabins, and RV/caravans and boats. The SureSine has extensive electronic protections and no internal cooling fan or other moving parts prone to failure. www.morningstarcorp.com/products/SureSine/.

Switching CFLs on and off shortens lamp life. Here are some guidelines for where to put these energy-saving bulbs, and how to make them last:

  • 20% reduction in lamp life if on cycle is less than 1 hour.

  • 70% reduction in lamp life if on cycle is 15 minutes.
  • 85% reduction in lamp life if on cycle is 5 minutes. (This brings it close to incandescent life)

  Each switch cycle costs about 6 minutes in lamp life. Lawrence Berkeley National Lab suggests that you use CFL's where they will have on cycles of 10 minutes or more. This approach should also maximize electricity and cost savings. www.lbl.gov

Brain Teaser from the Oregon Dept of Energy
by Christopher Dymond
1 Acre of PV versus 1 Acre of Corn -- How many miles per acre can you get?

  How much electricity from an acre of corn? 1 Acre of PV in a reasonably sunny location will produce 120,000 to 200,000 kWh of electricity per year. An electric car gets something between 1 and 3 miles per kWh - Thus we can get at least 120,000 miles per year on an acre of PV.
  How much ethanol do you get from an acre of corn? Let's say you can grow160 bushels per acre. You'll get about 2.8 gallons to the bushel (about 450 gallons to the acre, an excellent yield), and each gallon of ethanol contains 85,000 Btu of energy. At 15 miles per (less miles per gallon than gasoline, because ethanol holds 69% of the energy of gasoline per gallon), we can get 6,720 miles per year on an acre of corn, possibly 20,000 if we're driving an ultralight commuter car.
  This shows clearly that the future belongs to electric vehicles. And once you understand that you begin to realize just how much electric power is going to be needed to keep the world rolling.

If only you could grow PV modules from seeds.

 

Alternative School Students Learn Energy Concepts

  Students at the Grant County Alternative school spent three days in early March learning the physics of energy. EORenew's Jennifer Barker prepared a curriculum including the laws of thermodynamics, energy conversions using Btus, measuring and conserving energy.
  The Alternative School addresses the needs of students in grades 9-12 who are at-risk because of home/family situations or different learning styles. Their interests and abilities varied widely, so the goal was to present a curriculum of practical physics that would provide them with information useful to them as future energy consumers.
  The definition of a Btu prompted jokes about the number of matches in a cord of wood. Several students who worked cutting firewood or fighting wildfires were particularly interested in the comparative heat values of different types of locally-available firewood. Others were more curious about the relative cost of heating a home with fossil fuels vs. firewood, and the life-cycle cost of compact fluorescents compared to incandescent bulbs.

alternative school

Top: students examine appliances' energy use.
Left: EORenew's Barker does the numbers.
Bottom: The "littlest student" snoozes peacefully in his carrier
while his mother works on the spreadsheet.

  The middle day of the curriculum consisted of a tour to several renewable energy installations. Students compared the grid-intertied system at the grant County Fairgrounds with the grid-connected system at the EORenew office and the off-grid system at Lance and Jennifer Barker's house. Additional stops were made at a solar-powered fish screen, stock watering pump, and a solar hot water installation.
  On the final day, students watched the 22-minute "Power of the Sun" video about how a photovoltaic panel makes electricity from sunlight. Then they learned how to fill out a spreadsheet for home energy use, and read energy consumption statistics on appliances. Their homework was to record their energy use for a week.
  Students were impressed to learn that their energy use in the northwest prompted coal-burning in another region, that a solar greenhouse could grow lettuce in winter, and that energy conservation promoted energy independence. Throughout the three days, the emphasis was on understanding rather than memorization, and on learning how to find and use energy information sources. EORenew visits classrooms and guides educational field trips throughout the school year.
 

 
Portland Solar Business Gets All Its Energy
from the Sun
by Suzanne Olsen

  Mr. Sun Solar has been around since 1981, but had their best year ever in 2007. That's because the company's owner, John Patterson, realized a long-held dream of getting all the company's energy from the sun.

 
Mr. Sun Solar
John Patterson of Mr. Sun Solar is proud to be the first business west of the Cascades to have zero net energy use.

  Patterson installed a 7 kilowatt photovoltaic system in August, 2007 that provides all the power needed to light and heat the office, run the computers, and power all the company's manufacturing tools. The system will save two tons of carbon dioxide per year, virtually eliminating the company's greenhouse gasses and carbon footprint.
  The system is intertied with Pacific Power's electric system (grid-tied). On sunny days, the photovoltaic modules generate more power than the company can use, with the excess power going back to the grid for Pacific Power to use. The company's electric meter will actually spin backwards, and they will receive a credit. On dark, rainy days, the company will purchase electricity with the credit, resulting in a "break even" or zero net energy use.
  It took a lot of planning to get to this point. "I knew that to reach zero net energy, I'd first need to make our building very energy efficient," Patterson said. "We fixed areas where cold air was infiltrating, then re-insulated. Then we did everything we could with solar energy to reduce our power load."
  Patterson installed seven tubular skylights that provide the majority of the building's lighting, two solar attic fans for summer cooling, and a solar hot water heating system. Efficient back-up lighting and a heat pump keep energy use down. "Plus all our employees pitch in to conserve. We dress warmly, keep doors closed and turn out lights when we leave a room," he added. They unplug the coffee pot and pour the hot coffee into a thermos after it's brewed. "Little things really do add up over time," he said. With stealth conservation and efficiency improvements, he was able to get his average energy use down to about 23 kilowatt hours per day. The 7 kilowatt PV system provides a little over that on an annual basis.
  A nice package of incentives and tax credits helped offset the $67,500 cost of the system. The company will receive an Energy Trust of Oregon incentive of $8,000. When Patterson files his Federal income tax return he'll get a $17,676 refund (30% of cost less the Energy Trust of Oregon incentive). Oregon's Business Energy Tax Credit was even more generous, about $27,000, although it has to be taken over five years. The Business Energy Tax Credit increased in 2007 from 35 percent to 50 percent of eligible project costs and the maximum has doubled from $10 million to $20 million.
  Energy Trust of Oregon, a nonprofit organization promoting energy efficiency and clean, renewable energy for Oregon utility customers, is happy to provide the incentive. "It's great to see Mr. Sun Solar, one of our valued solar contractor trade allies, so boldly walk his talk," said Kacia Brockman, Energy Trust's solar program manager. "As providers of cash incentives for both energy efficiency and solar energy, we're especially pleased that John chose to make his building as energy efficient as possible before installing solar."
  Patterson is proud to be the first business west of the Cascades to have zero net energy use. "Even in the Willamette Valley, we get more than enough sun to completely power a business," he said. "A system half this size and half the cost would power most energy efficient homes." In fact, his company partners with area home builders to make their new construction homes solar-ready. "We pre-plumb the house for solar water heating and solar electric, then the home buyer decides whether to install the system," he said.
  The company celebrated with a big open house last August. They roasted hot dogs and baked cookies with a solar cooker. Lighting and music were powered by the sun. Patterson was walking on air. "Using all renewable energy is something I've wanted to do for a long time because it's the right thing to do. It's the most gratifying accomplishment of my entire career."
Suzanne Olsen is a freelance writer and photographer specializing in renewable energy and the environment

Northwest Energy News Roundup
Federal Energy Incentives Update
  The Federal Tax Credit has not yet been extended past the end of 2008. The Residential Solar Tax Credit portion of the bill extends a 30-percent tax credit (created in the Energy Policy Act of 2005) only through the end of this year.
  The Business Solar Tax Credit and Fuel Cell Tax Credit extends the 30-percent business credit for the purchase of fuel cell power plants, solar energy property, and fiber-optic property used to illuminate the inside of a structure. After December 31, 2008, the credit reverts to 10%.
  The recent "Economic Stimulus Package" passed by Congress and signed into law by President Bush increased the 1st year depreciation rate for solar to about 60%.

Oregon RETC and BETC Improved
  Homeowners can now claim one renewable energy tax credit per house per year for each of the technologies, e.g. solar hot water, solar electric, and geothermal heat for example. In addition appliance tax credits are not limited per year, providing the equipment is installed in the residence.
  In 2007, the Oregon Legislature increased the Business Energy Tax Credit (BETC) to 50%. Both the Residential Energy Tax Credit (RETC) and the BETC statutes are retroactive to January 1, 2007. The Oregon State Tax Credit for solar has resulted in a roughly eight-fold increase in system applications.
  A new High Performance Home tax credit allows up to $12,000 for qualifying construction. Technical requirements are available at www.oregon.gov/ENERGY/CONS/BUS/docs/Tech_Requirements_HPH_Renewable_2.pdf.
  The 2008 Legislature clarified the BETC for solar manufacturing facilities. Four major solar companies have made use of this incentive to date. The largest of these is SolarWorld's 400,000 square foot facility in Hillsboro. The newest is a pilot plant in Millersburg which will manufacture solar grade silicon.

Oregon Net Metering Changes
  In 2007 the Oregon Public Utility Commission (OPUC) adopted rules for Portland General Electric and Pacific Power which require annualized net metering on all systems. Residential net metered systems are still limited to 25kW nameplate capacity, but commercial systems can now be net metered up to 2MW. These changes do not apply to coops, municipal utilities, and PUDs.

Energy Trust of Oregon News
  Energy Trust is recruiting residential customers of Portland General Electric or Pacific Power to participate in a pilot project to study how real-time feedback monitors affect residential energy consumption. Studies in Canada and the northeastern U.S. show that households monitoring their energy consumption typically reduce energy use by about five percent. Qualified households will be able to purchase a Blue Line PowerCost Monitor at an 80 percent discount, and will be asked to complete two surveys in 2008.
  Effective January 1, the Energy Trust has added new cash incentives and increased some existing incentives. "We're seeing increased interest in and awareness of the economic and environment benefits of saving energy in all sectors," said Margie Harris, executive director. Potential energy savings in the commercial sector are large and extremely cost-effective to acquire, according to Harris.
Energy Trust's New Buildings program has increased the incentive cap, and incentives for technical assistance have been added. Energy Trust's Existing Buildings program has doubled the maximum incentive per site to $500,000. Typical measures include lighting, heating, air conditioning, premium efficiency motors, high efficiency gas heating and water heating equipment, and high efficiency equipment for restaurants and lodging.
  For residential customers, Energy Trust has added an incentive for high efficiency electric water heaters and premium efficiency appliances. For more information, see www.energytrust.org/residential/promotions.

Idaho News
  Idaho Power offers VendingMiser smart plug-in devices, which can cut energy use in most refrigerated beverage vending machines by 40 percent. If you are an Idaho Power customer (in Idaho only), call 888-264-4428 to receive one (or they may be purchased at www.usatech.com/energy_management/).
  Idaho Power's Easy Upgrades offers incentives of up to $100,000 per site per year for qualifying energy-saving projects in commercial and industrial buildings. Eligible projects cover typical improvements to lighting and air conditioning systems, motors and motor controls, the building shell, plug loads, and more. Easy Upgrades trade ally workshops will be held throughout southern Idaho and eastern Oregon in early April. For more information, see www.idahopower.com/easyupgrades/

 

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